Defending Cincinnati champion Andy Murray, a gold medalist at the London Olympics, was ousted by lucky loser Jeremy Chardy of France in the third round at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

 

The World No. 4 put the loss in perspective. "I mean, always when going into the big tournaments, sometimes I've won tournaments in the buildup and it hasn't helped me," he said." "This year at Wimbledon I lost in the first round at Queen's and made the final there for the first time. I have won Queen's before and not done well at Wimbledon."

 

In his post-match press conference, Chardy said, "Now I feel very good on court, and I play very relaxed. It's good when I feel like this on the court."

 

For his quarterfinal match, Chardy faces Juan Martin del Potro, who advanced with a win over Serbia’s Viktor Troicki in three sets. Earlier in the week, Chardy defeated two-time champion Andy Roddick.

 

By securing a spot into the quarterfinals, del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion from Argentina, advanced to his career-best showing in Cincinnati.

 

Also on Thursday, the No. 1 seed and 17-time major champion Roger Federer made it to the next round with a straight sets victory over Australia’s Bernard Tomic. The four-time winner at Cincinnati needed just over an hour to claim the win and set up a test with 30-year old American Mardy Fish. The two men faced in the 2010 Western & Southern Open final with Federer coming out on top in three sets.

 

Fish claimed victory over Radek Stepanek 6-3, 6-3 to advance and is bidding to reach his third final at the Western & Southern Open, if he can take out Federer first. Fish beat Stepanek in just over 90 minutes, striking seven aces along the way.

 

Earlier this year, Fish, who was diagnosed with a heart condition that forced him to skip months of the season, reached the quarterfinals in Toronto and the semifinals in Washington. His win over Stepanek to take a spot into the final eight was his first in five career meetings, having won only one set previously in their head-to-head.

 

After the win, Fish said, "He’s been a very tough opponent for me over the years. Not only has he beaten me, he's beaten me pretty soundly most of the time. I certainly felt good."

 

The No. 2-ranked American continued that he successfully claimed his first win over Stepanek due to improved form on court. "I feel fresh and strong," he said. "This summer has gone well for me as far as getting my match fitness back."

 

The No. 12 seed, Marin Cilic, also made it to the quarterfinals by beating Pablo Andujar 7-6(4), 6-2. He will face the winner of the Novak Djokovic and Nikolay Davydenko match to be decided on Center Court later today.